Roadtrip
by queenkurtsie
Summary: It's summer vacation and Finn, Puck, Sam and Kurt decide to go on a road trip! Sam and Kurt surprisingly form a special bond before and during the trip. Eventual Sam/Kurt as well as protective!Puck and brotherly!Finn. Rated T for now!
1. 1: The One with the Preparations

_A/N: It's summer vacation and Finn, Puck, Sam and Kurt decide to go on a road trip! Sam and Kurt surprisingly form a special bond before and during the trip. Sam/Kurt friendship eventual relationship, as well as appearances from an overprotective Finn and Puck._

Enjoy :) & I don't own Glee. It wouldn't be Glee if I did...it'd just be Kurt and Sam making out, which I'm pretty sure is nowadays referred to as porn.

* * *

**SERENDIPITY **

**PART 1: The One with the Preparations**

* * *

"Sam! What did your mom say about the camping trip?" Finn anxiously caught up to Sam's locker after finals were finally over, marking the beginning of the long anticipated summer vacation. The football players decided on celebrating with a summer road trip to Columbus, Ohio. Finn had a mental checklist to go through: Puck had already confirmed his attendance. Artie was going out-of-state to visit relatives over winter break, so he didn't even need to confirm. Mike was spending his summer at another Asian camp with Tina. The last person on Finn's list was Sam.

"She's up for it, she just wants to talk to your mom over dinner tonight. Is that cool? I'll come over around 6? I just gotta go home and clean my room first." Sam replied, stuffing all his books into his locker. "And God knows how long _that's _going to take." he finished, slamming his locker shut.

"That's totally fine." Finn smiled his dopey smile.

Puck sauntered over to Sam and Finn and slapped his hands on their shoulders. "Ready to get wasted?" he said, genuinely excited for the road trip. Sam and Finn just grinned and the guys all bumped fists in response.  
"Princess still coming?" Puck asked nonchalantly.  
"Yeah." Finn answered.  
"Princess?" Sam questioned.  
"Kurt." said both Finn and Puck at the same time.  
"Kurt's coming!" Sam was surprised. No one mentioned Kurt joining them before.

"Yeah dude." Finn said, now looking for his phone that was loudly ringing.  
"Is that a problem?" Puck asked, taking a step closer to Sam.  
"No! No no, of course not." Sam looked down sheepishly. The last thing he wanted was for Puck to get all up in business about Kurt. Ever since the countertenor left McKinley for Dalton, Puck had been really aggressive about any Kurt-related conversation topic. Santana teased that Puck missed Kurt, but he always denied it. Sam however, was beginning to think otherwise.  
"OH MY GOD!" Finn cried out all of a sudden, staring at his phone's screen. He looked up at Sam and Puck, who were staring at him expectedly. "Kurt just got home!" Finn explained, running away, nearly tripping on his own feet in excitement. Sam and Puck laughed at Finn's goofiness.

"I guess I'll pay a visit to the fairy too." Puck said, offering Sam a high five before heading out to his car. Of course, by the time Puck walked out of the school's doors Finn was already speeding out of the the parking lot.

The boys' road trip had been planned since spring break, when the trip was originally going to take place but was eventually cancelled due to family obligations. The summer vacation road trip came in perfect timing, and the boys weren't going to let the chance slip away. Tonight they planned to have their parents speak to each other to confirm all the details, and then Sam and Puck would sleep over so they could leave Lima first thing in the morning. Everything was already put in place, all they had to do now was depart. Unbeknown to the boys, the road trip was going be a hell of a lot more challenging than they're going to expect.

* * *

Finn pulled into the spacious driveway of the Hummel-Hudson home in a frantic rush. He all but nearly fell out of the car, completely abandoning his school bag and books, and ran into the house. He opened the door with a grin on his face, and found his mom and Burt in the living room watching a movie.

"WHERE'S KURT?" Finn panted, breathless from running and..well, falling.

"Downstairs, honey. Are you alright?" Carole asked, concerned about the fact that Finn was panting so hard. Finn didn't even hear Carole's question because as soon as she disclosed Kurt's location, he sprinted to the basement. Finn burst into Kurt's room, a room that was currently filled with the girls of New Directions, and scanned the room for Kurt. When Finn realized that Kurt wasn't in the room, the door to the bedroom's bathroom opened, and out came...

"KURT!" Finn screamed, making all the girls laugh. He tackled Kurt to the ground in a bear hug.

"FINN, GET OFF OF ME! I CAN'T BREATHE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS SHIRT IS CHANEL AND I SWEAR IF YOU ARE WRINKLING IT-"

Needless to say, Finn jumped up after the words "Chanel" and "wrinkling" were fully processed in his brain.

"Sorry..." Finn said, sheepishly looking at the ground. "I just missed you, little bro."

Kurt stood up and smoothed out his shirt. He sighed. "I missed you too, Finn." At this, Finn hugged Kurt again, regardless of Kurt's cries and whining. After about half a minute of Finn hugging and Kurt's surrender, Quinn cleared her throat.

"If you're finished rudely interrupting our conversation, the door is right over there." she quipped, rolling her ice blue eyes.

"Yeah, no offense white boy, " Mercedes started, "But you're about to spend a week with Kurt all to yourself. All we have is makeover night." Finn didn't need to be told a third time, so he gave Kurt a quick hug and left the room.

"So Ladyface, spill." Santana started as soon as Finn was out of earshot. She was lying on Kurt's bed, filing her nails. "Are you and Blaine doing the dirty yet or not?" she asked. At her question, the girls moved closer to Kurt, interested in the gossip.

"Blaine and I aren't even dating." Kurt answered, getting out his nail polish collection and handing it to Tina.

"Doesn't mean you can't be having sex." Santana muttered. Brittany looked up.

"If it did then that means Santana and I are-"

"Britt, honey." Santana glared at her fellow Cheerio. "Why don't you brush Quinn's hair?"

"Okay!" Brittany said, grabbing a brush and skipping to where Quinn was sitting.

"Kurtie, I thought you and Blaine were gonna make it official after you transferred?" Tina questioned, accepting the box of nail polish and setting up a towel under Santana's hands.

"Wild guess: did he ask you to wait and then gave you a promise ring?" Quinn asked, sitting Indian-style in a chair while Brittany brushed her hair.

"He isn't Sam, Quinny." Mercedes said before Kurt could answer. She was mixing the at-home hair dye with the end of a comb that would later be used to highlight Quinn's hair.

"Sam broke up with me." Quinn nearly whispered as Britt finished brushing.

"WHAT!" Everyone exclaimed, stopping what they were doing (except for Santana, who continued to file her nails)

"He said he couldn't be with me anymore. Something about it not being right to me...whatever that means." Quinn explained. "He promised he would tell people that I broke up with him, for my sake." The girls all paused for a few seconds, pondering what Sam could have meant. When neither of them managed to come up with anything, they continued to prepare makeover night.

"You don't deserve that Quinn." Kurt said. The girls all nodded and agreed.

"I really don't care anymore." Quinn stated as Mercedes put a smock to cover up Quinn's clothes.

"Wait, hold up bitches. I wanna hear about Kurt, damn it. Tell us about Dalton! And I mean dirty details." Santana said as Tina told her to hold still while she painted her nails.

"Well, last week I got my French final back and found out I passed with flying colors. My British Lit teacher has piled at least 300 books for me to read over summer break..." Kurt said, now gathering products for Brittany's facial.

"Not what we meant. Tell us about Blaine! Have you guys kissed?" Quinn asked. At the mention of Blaine and kiss in the same sentence, all the girls squealed and Kurt turned pink. He loved his girls so much, and missed them dearly at Dalton. They were the only thing Dalton was missing.

* * *

The next few hours flew by quickly, resulting in Santana's firetruck red nails, Quinn's highlights that brought out the sparkle in her eyes, and facials for Mercedes, Brittany and Tina. Kurt's stories about Blaine got a lot of "awwws" from the girls, and the gossip at McKinley hadn't changed much since Kurt had left. But for some reason, the one thing that lingered in Kurt's mind was the fact that Sam had broken up with Quinn.

"Finn! Sam and his mother are here!" Carole called out, letting Sam and Mrs. Evans into the house. The girls left after watching the Sex & The City movie, and Puck had shown up just after Mercedes, the last girl to leave, got into her car.

Finn made his way up the stairs to greet Sam, who was currently sitting at the kitchen table with Puck, Mrs. Evans and Burt while Kurt and Carole prepared dinner. Finn couldn't help but notice that while Mrs. Evans and Burt were discussing transportation, Sam was watching Kurt scurry around the kitchen. And Puck was watching Sam. Well, it looked like Puck was more like glaring at Sam. Wait, what the hell was going on?

"Who's hungry?" Kurt called out, carrying a tray of chicken alfredo pasta, followed by Carole with a bowl of caesar salad. Everything smelled amazing, but Finn already knew that Kurt's cooking was amazing. What he didn't know was why the hell Sam was so intrigued with watching Kurt.

* * *

After dinner was eaten and dishes were washed, plans had been finalized and decisions had been made, the boys were finally allowed to prepare for the next day and sleep. Naturally, Finn argued that the four of them needed to sleep in Kurt's room because it was the biggest room in the house, and it had a bed and a couch for convenience. Secretly, it was really because Kurt had a T.V. in his room and Finn didn't clean his room.

"I got first dibs on the bathroom." Kurt claimed as the boys were conjuring up sleeping situations. He grabbed his black yoga pants and oversized, off-shoulder white tshirt and walked into the bathroom.

"I call the couch." Finn said, throwing his blanket on said couch. "My sleeping bag's in the car, and I don't feel like getting it."

"I'll sleep on the floor then." Puck said, tossing his worn sleeping bag on the floor.

"What about you, Sam?" Finn asked as he grabbed a pillow from Kurt's closet.

"I kinda forgot my sleeping bag in the car too.." Sam said lamely, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe I could share a bed with Kurt?" Sam asked with hope, and Puck's jaw dropped at Sam's audacity. Finn's eyes widened in surprise.

Kurt chose that moment to open the bathroom door. The boys all looked at him when he walked out. "What are you guys looking at?" Kurt asked when he realized that they were staring at him. There was a pause before Sam finally spoke up.

"Do you mind if uh...Isharedyourbedwithyou?" Sam asked as quickly as possible, wanting to get it over with. Kurt flushed, a little embarrassed by the question.

"Yeah, sure." he replied as apathetic as possible, even though his heart started racing.. Finn and Puck looked at each other, searching for an answer. They both shrugged at the same time in response to each other's questions. Puck grabbed his basketball shorts and went into the bathroom to change after Kurt had vacated.

"Uh, I'll just change in my room..." Finn stammered. The room suddenly felt tense when Puck left and Finn was alone with Sam and Kurt, it was like Finn was intruding on something. He walked out wrapped up in his theories of what was going on between his step-brother and Sam. A silence fell upon the room as the bathroom sink audibly turned on, and the sounds of Puck brushing his teeth could be heard through the door.

"So uh, are you excited for the trip?" Sam asked. He wasn't a conversational wizard, but hey, he could try. Kurt finished folding the clothes he was previously wearing and looked up.

"Very excited. Finn's been pestering me about brother-bonding ever since I transferred to Dalton. Carole's been talking about how much he's missed me..."

"Oh, Puck's missed you too." Sam said without thinking.

"What?" Kurt exclaimed. _Aw crap_, Sam thought.

"Uh...I mean...I've... missed you too." Sam recovered lamely. _Nice going dude. At least you didn't lie._

"Wait..what? Did you just say Puck's missed me? Puck, the boy who used to throw me into dumpsters, Puck? Puck, who-" Kurt paused in thought."... Sam, you've missed me too?" Kurt asked, bright blue eyes meeting Sam's.

"Uh..." Sam stuttered. Luckily, Finn walked in at that moment and coincidentally, Puck walked out of the bathroom as well. "My turn!" Sam finished, completely ignoring Kurt's question and racing to the bathroom with his basketball shorts in his hands.

"The hell was that about, Princess?" Puck asked when Sam closed the door.

"Honestly? I haven't a clue." Kurt said, sighing. He began preparing his immaculate bed for slumber, removing pillows and pulling back the blanket.

"Do you like Sam?" Finn asked, sitting on his newly makeshift bed/couch.

"No, of course not." Kurt said matter-of-factly, as if the answer was dead obvious.

"Yes you do, Princess. I could feel the sexual tension from in the bathroom." Puck teased.

"I do not!" Kurt cried out as he walked to his vanity mirror.

"You totally do! Look how red you are!" Puck said loudly, pointing at Kurt's mirror.

"SAM AND KURTIE SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Finn started singing loudly and obnoxiously. Finn apparently thought that teasing his little brother was appropriate since he was bigger than him.

"Finn, seriously? Are you a child?" Puck snapped. "It's supposed to go: SAM AND KURTSIE SITTING IN A TREE, F-U-C-K-" As soon as the bathroom door opened and interrupted Puck's rendition, the boys all fell silent. Sam looked around the room.

"Did you hear anything we said?" Puck asked while Finn was literally rolling on the floor in silent laughter.

"...no. I was listening to my iPod while brushing my teeth." Sam said slowly. "...why, where you guys talking about me?"

"NO!" Kurt exclaimed way too quickly. Puck started to chuckle alongside Finn. "I mean no, we weren't." Sam wasn't gullible, but he decided to let the situation go. If they didn't want to tell him, then there wasn't much he could do about it. No matter how curious he was about what Kurt had said about him.

* * *

"Just to warn you now-" Sam whispered so the other boys, who had already fallen asleep, wouldn't wake up and hear him as he climbed into bed with Kurt. "-I'm a notorious cuddler." he finished, embarrassed. Kurt flustered immediately, the thought of Sam cuddling with him making him ridiculously anxious.

"I highly doubt we're going to end up cuddling tonight, Sam." Kurt said, climbing into bed as far away from Sam as possible.

"I bet you five dollars." Sam said with a wink. "Finn told me about how cold your room gets at night. Body heat's the best source for heat, so..."

"Oh you're on, Evans." Kurt said with a wicked smile. "Be ready to pay up tomorrow morning." Kurt mumbled. He reached over and switched off his bedside lamp before covering himself with his comforter. There was a short pause when the boys in bed adjusted in order to get comfortable.

"Kurt?" Sam whispered a few minutes after the bedspread rustling quieted down.

"Yes, Sam?"

"Sweet dreams." Sam turned over to face Kurt. In the darkness, he could sense the grin spread on Kurt's face.

"Good night, Sam." Kurt said, turning to face him.

Both boys fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

* * *

Sam awoke early the next morning. He glanced at the bedside clock and winced. 4 A.M., on a regular summer vacation, was crazy early. But for the start of a road trip, it was right on time. He lifted his head up and grinned in amusement.

Laying next to him, head on his chest, was that of Kurt Hummel. Somehow, Sam's arm snaked around Kurt's shoulder, holding him tight and Kurt's head was snuggled into the crook of Sam's neck, with Kurt's arm hooked around Sam's waist. _Awesome, _Sam thought, grinning.

"I can hear that grin from down here." Kurt mumbled, rubbing his eyes and snuggling closer to Sam for warmth.

"You owe me five dollars, Hummel." Sam said as Kurt looked up at him.

"Not fair. You grabbed me and pulled me onto you. It was either cuddle with you or risk getting thrown across the room." Kurt said, pulling away, much to Sam's disappointment.

"Either way, you cuddled with me.." Sam said teasingly. That's when it hit Kurt that he had, in fact, cuddled with Sam.

"Shut up. You probably just thought I was Quinn or something." Kurt crawled out of bed, hand in his hair. "Don't make a big deal out of it." Kurt said, suddenly cold. Did Sam say something wrong? Were they cuddling wrong or something?

"No...I wasn't thinking about-" Sam started, utterly confused. He thought it was a big deal.

"Save it. We need to start getting ready." Kurt said, back to bitch mode. "Wake up Finn and Puck. I'm going to take a shower." With that, Kurt walked into the bathroom and closed the door. He was acting as if nothing had happened, which hurt Sam a lot more than it should have. What was the sudden change in emotion? Maybe Kurt just wants to stay on schedule, so he didn't have time for extra cuddling. Or maybe-

Sam didn't have time to finish the rest of his thoughts because suddenly, "Dream On" started playing from the couch. Finn jumped up, scrambling for the sound coming from his phone. His hair was a complete mess, and his eyes were still heavily lidded with slumber. When he finally found his phone, he shook Puck awake.

"Dude. Dude. DUDE!" Finn yelled. "Time to wake up!"

"Hush up Hudson. I've been awake ever since Evans started talking in his sleep like half an hour ago." Puck grumbled. His voice was surprisingly deep and scratchy in the morning.

"Wait, what?" Sam fiercely whispered, hoping Kurt couldn't hear.

"'Oh Kurt...mhmm so warm, smell so good Kurt...'" Puck imitated Sam in a high pitched voice that sounded absolutely nothing like Sam. "I saw you guys cuddling when I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. It was sickening."

"Dude, you and Kurt cuddled?" Finn asked, folding his blankets.

"Uh...yeah, I guess so." Sam said, failing at trying to hide his grin. Finn and Puck looked at each other at Sam's response. At that moment they realized that the blonde was in love with the Princess, and vice versa. Puck decided to have a little fun with it.

"So do you like him?" Puck asked bluntly.

"No, of course not." Sam said, still trying to disguise his grin.

"You totally like my little brother! Dude!" Finn said as he cleaned up his sleeping area. Living with Kurt taught him a lot about cleaning up after himself.

"No I don't!" Sam argued.

"Dude. You're totally in love with the Princess." Puck stated, as if the idea was blatantly evident. At that moment, Kurt began singing in the shower, and an acoustic version Beyonce's _Sweet Dream _as sung by Kurt filled the bathroom and leaked out into the bedroom.

_Clouds fill with stars, cover your skies_

_And I hope it rains  
You're the perfect lullaby_

_What kind of dream is this_

_You can be my sweet dream_

_Or a beautiful nightmare_

_Either way I_

_Don't wanna wake up from you_

Hearing Kurt's feminine voice gave Sam goosebumps. Puck's words echoed in his head. _...in love with the Princess...in love...with the Princess..._

_Either way I_

_Don't wanna wake up from you_

Maybe Sam was in love with Kurt. And maybe...just maybe...Kurt loved him too.

_FIN part 1  
_

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**skatergurljubulee If you're reading this, I'm just letting you know that near the end of the story, I totally kinda borrowed your idea of Sam being a cuddler and how he unknowingly forced Kurt to cuddle with him. Sorry! I just think the idea is so cute!**

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! Reviews are wonderful, I could use constructive criticism. Also, if anyone is interested in beta reading this story (obviously this chapter, I didn't use one :X) then please message me!**

**COMING UP NEXT: **The boys commence their roadtrip with a shebang, Sam and Kurt wind up being in the backseat of the car together, Kurt finds more than one suitor, and somebody gets damaged more than they bargained for. Stay tuned!


	2. 2: The One with the Gas Station

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! And thank you so much to anyone who caught the little errors that I overlooked, they have either been fixed already or they will be clarified in this next chapter. I do not own Glee, nor do I own the _Hitcher_ references. Sorry this chapter took so long! Thank you to anyone who's reading this, I really hope you all enjoy :)

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**2: The One With the Gas Station**

**

* * *

**

"Gas?"  
"Check."  
"Money?"  
"Check."  
"Maps?"  
"Check."  
"Keys?"  
"...aw, crap." Finn muttered, patting his pockets of his faded jeans, looking for the keys to his car. He and Burt were performing a verbal checklist of what the boys needed to make sure they brought for the trip. The boys had decided to go to Columbus for a few days, but last night during dinner, their trip was suddenly extended. Mr. Schue had encouraged the boys' parents to let them drive to West Virginia to attend the West Virgina Dance Festival to see the Kanawha Kordsmen Barbershop Chorus for inspiration. Their parents thought it would be a good bonding experience for the boys to see a chorus sing, so they agreed. The four boys had no problem with an extended road trip either.

"Keys are right here!" Puck called out while climbing up the stairs. Puck was dressed similarly to Finn, faded jeans, but wore a checkered flannel longsleeve in lieu of Finn's bubble vest. Finn let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the car keys jingling in Puck's hands.

"Where's Kurt?" Carole asked wearily, walking into the living room wearing a cream plush bathrobe that Kurt had given her for her birthday.

"Downstairs." Sam answered, suddenly appearing at the top of the steps. "Kurt's just finishing up his moisturizing routine." Finn, Burt and Carole all gave knowing nods. Sam was carrying one of Kurt's bags, Puck noticed. _Geez, they're not even dating and the dude's already whipped, _Puck thought. The tension between Sam and Kurt had become all too much for Puck to bear, and it had only been _one_ night. He needed to put things into full throttle for those two. If he didn't, he was sure that he would be suffocated by the sexual tension accumulated over a _week_. Oh the possibilities were-his thoughts were interrupted with a loud thud.

"I'm here! Ready to go?" Kurt asked. He had dropped his bag, which had caused the thud. Puck, turning his attention in the direction of the noise, noticed what Kurt was wearing: a long, slim dark grey pullover sweater over dark blue leggings, and black booties. Puck secretly wondered if the sweater was Kurt's or Sam's. Kurt simply fixed his hair in the living room mirror before gracefully turning to Sam.

"Thanks for helping me with my bags. Sam." Kurt said, reaching out to take back his prized designer brown duffle. Sam pulled the bags out of reach immediately.

"Nu uh little dude, your bags weigh as much as you do. Most likely more." Sam smirked. "I'll carry them to the car for you." Sam said warmly walking out the front door and to Finn's open trunk. Kurt blushed at Sam's chivalry. Sure it was a trivial thing, carrying someone's bags for them, but no one had ever offered to do anything chivalrous for him before. It was...refreshing, to say the least.

Finn and Carole shared confused glances while Burt glared at Sam as he walked out to the car. Kurt watched him walk out with a funny look on his face, or so Puck noted.

"I guess I'll go start the car now." Finn said, more to himself than anyone else. Burt nodded and looked at Carole, who had very faint tears pooling in her eyes. She approached Finn while Burt approached Kurt. Puck, feeling awkward watching such an emotional family scene, followed Sam to the parent/child conversations occurred simultaneously, but carried a similar message.

"Have fun, Finn. Be safe. Make sure you-"

"I know, Mom. I will." Finn finished for her, knowing the words. Carole tilted her head and sighed.

"I love you, son."

"I love you too mom." Finn leaned down and gave his mom a kiss on her forehead. He was so tall that she couldn't kiss his forehead, so it had become a tradition for him to do it instead.

"Now Kurt, I don't you to go and-"

"I won't, Dad."

"Make sure you don't go off on your own. Stay with Finn. I don't think I could..."  
"Dad!"  
"I wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to you." Burt finished anyway. It was Kurt who sighed and looked down.

"I love you, Dad."  
"I love you too, son."

The two families hugged at the same time, squeezing tight. Burt looked at Finn after he and Kurt had ended the embrace.

"Take care of my son, Finn." was all Burt said.

"I call shotgun!" Puck called out from outside, loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.

* * *

The four boys climbed into the seats of Finn's car apprehensively. It wasn't that it was awkward...not y_et _anyway, but it was more due to the fact that the sun wasn't even out yet. The exhaustion was evident in their faces.

"So Finn, tell me, what makes you oh-so-capable to drive? I still don't understand why I'm not behind the wheel." Kurt huffed, muttering the last part.

"Uh, hello? I'm the older brother." Finn said matter-of-factly as he checked his rearview and side mirrors. Puck and Sam snickered at Finn's answer.

"Finn! I'm older than you are, and may I say, also more mature!" Kurt cried out, crossing his arms. Sam thought that Kurt's defiance was adorable, it resembled that of a child's temper tantrum.

"Yeah, but I'm bigger." Finn stated with finality. Kurt didn't bother responding, because Finn was right, but also because since Finn was driving, it also meant he could sleep during the drive. And since Puck had suddenly called shotgun, it also meant he was stuck in the backseat with Sam, which excited him more than it probably should have.

Finally, Finn pulled out of the driveway. Looking into the rearview mirror, he caught the last glimpses of his mother and Burt waving and then going back in to the house. An image that Finn would keep in his memory for as long as he could before things could take a turn for the worse.

* * *

The roadtrip game of choice was chosen by Puck (who had devised a plan in his head and was determined to go through with it). It consisted of one of the boys asking about a "favorite" category and the rest of the boys had to answer with their "favorite" answer. Most of the game went like:

"Favorite color?" Finn asked.  
"Green." Puck answered swiftly.  
"Blue. Oh, but like a really deep grey-blue, like a steel blue. It's kinda hard to explain. It looks a lot like..."  
"Oh oh! Figgin's car!"  
"YES! Exactly what I was thinking!"

The exchanging between Sam and Kurt had become nauseating. Kurt would say an answer, and Sam's answer would be ridiculously similar or exactly the same to Kurt's. Puck wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or not, but Kurt's answers were also strangely similar. Finn was too focused on his driving to notice, but Puck scoffed and rolled his eyes whenever Sam or Kurt answered. Seriously, it was disgusting.

"Favorite eye color?" Puck asked suddenly, curious.  
"Green." Kurt answered.  
"Blue." Sam answered at the exact same time Kurt did.  
"Brown. Rachel's eyes are brown." Finn said, smirking all while staring at the road ahead of him, oblivious to Sam and Kurt's answers. Puck started smirking too. Sam and Kurt looked at each other in utter awe. Sam's stomach churned at Kurt's answer. When Kurt flustered, Sam's heart ached. Kurt was too adorable. Sam needed to check something about Kurt. A "test", if you will.

"Kirk or Spock?" Sam was staring at Kurt, no longer worried about Finn and Puck in the front seat.

"Spock!" Kurt answered without missing a beat. "3 words: Vulvan nerve pinch." Sam's stomach flip flopped. When he had asked Quinn that question, she replied with a "what the hell are you talking about?" and then promptly answered Kirk because he was "ridiculously hot".

"Lagerfeld or Chanel?" Kurt asked right after answering Sam's question. Sam took a second to contemplate.

"The dude with the white hair? Doesn't he design for Chanel?" Sam asked. This time, Kurt's heart significantly dropped. The only person who he knew had that sort of designer knowledge was Mercedes.

"Could you guys get a room? Seriously, it's getting so hot and bothered in here that I'm gonna have to open a window soon." Puck turned around to look at the two boys. "It's sickening."

Kurt and Sam simply looked at each other, then quickly looked away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sam said.  
"You're an idiot, Puck." Kurt said, opting for an insult instead of denial.

Kurt began to look out the window, attempting to hide his blushing face from Sam. Secretly, Sam was doing the exact same thing.

* * *

"Crap! Crap crapcrapcrap!" Finn said as he pulled over to a gas station.

"What? What's wrong?" Sam said, suddenly waking up thanks to Finn's random outburst. When Sam jolted awake, Kurt did as well, since he was fast asleep on Sam's shoulder, much to Sam's pleasure. The sun was just about to go down, and the boys were still approximately an hour away from their first motel.  
"Something's wrong with the engine. I don't know what that light means." Finn said, pointing to a small icon just under the car's speedometer. Puck awoke on his own, rubbing his eyes and blinking slowly.  
"I'm gonna go pay for gas, maybe the clerk would know..." Finn said, climbing out of the car. After Kurt had finished rubbing his eyes, he heaved a heavy sigh.  
"Finn!" Kurt called out when Finn had taken about 3 steps away from the car. Finn returned immediately and looked at Kurt expectedly.  
"You gotta check the oil level. If I'm correct, we've been driving for a couple hundred miles, yeah?" Kurt asked Finn, who replied with a nod.  
"Did you happen pack any of your old, ratty shirts?" Kurt asked, pushing up the sleeves of his pullover and climbing out of the car.  
"I think so...why?" Finn asked, walking to the trunk hesistantly.  
"I have to clean the oil dipstick to check if we have enough oil in the crankcase." Kurt replied, popping the hood of the car.  
"Wait, Princess, how the hell do you know this?" Puck demanded once he came to his senses and his drowsiness had disappeared. Sam was also surprised at Kurt's knowledge of the car's engine. Typically, Kurt would argue that it was common knowledge, but Sam had no idea what a dipstick or a crankcase even were.  
"I've worked at the shop with my dad ever since my mom died." Kurt off-handedly commented, like it was no big deal. Even though it was a big deal for Sam. And by big deal, Sam meant...major turn-on. Finn returned from the trunk with a ratty old gray t-shirt and offered it to Kurt, who daintily took it from Finn, obviously disgusted. Kurt opened up the hood of the car and located the oil dipstick, removed it, and cleaned it on Finn's shirt. After about a minute, Kurt re-inserted the dipstick.  
"_Parfait!_" Kurt said to himself.  
"So...?" Finn asked, confused as to why Kurt just said fruit and yogurt to himself.  
"So, we're all set." Kurt said, sighing. "It's right at the mark."  
"Uh...okay. Cool." Finn said sheepishly. He was slightly embarrassed that his "little" brother knew more about cars than he did, plus he was the most feminine guy in all of Lima.  
"Let's go pay for gas now." Kurt said, nudging Finn to go to inside of the gas station. Finn nodded, and knocked on the car's windows while Kurt grabbed his purse.  
"Guys, we're going inside." Finn said, loud enough for Sam and Puck to hear through the glass. Puck, not wanting to be stuck in a car with hormone-driven Sam for even five minutes, jumped at the opportunity.  
"I'm starving!" Puck said, jumping out of the passenger seat. Sam opened his door and followed Puck out to the gas station.

Finn stood at the counter with the cashier, explaining what had happened with the car and how Kurt ended up fixing it. Finn pulled out a couple bills and told the cashier the number of his car's gas pump, then went back outside to start filling up the car with gas. Kurt was already roaming the aisles. Immediately, Puck noticed the way Sam was watching Kurt walk around the store, and shuddered.

"Actually...I have to pee." Puck said, genuinely weirded out. He walked toward the bathroom, unnoticed by Sam. Kurt, however, noticed that Sam was staring at him, and smiled. Sam immediately snapped out of his Kurt-trance. He tried to recover from his awkward staring by grabbing the two bags of chips in front of him.  
"Doritos or Cheetos?" Sam called out. Kurt gave him smile.  
"Cheetos." Sam grabbed the bag dutifully.  
"Uhh..." Sam stuttered, walking over to the sweets. "Dingdongs or Hostess cakes?"  
"Both!" Kurt playfully said, waltzing over to Sam holding a Diet Pepsi and a Sprite. The two walked down the last aisle, giggling, debating over what flavor of mini doughnuts to buy, Sam wanted chocolate while Kurt wanted powdered sugar.

Puck came out of the bathroom, wiping his slightly moist palms on the back of his jeans. At the sight of Sam and Kurt laughing over...doughnuts? Puck shook his head at the sight. He made his way back to the car, with a very faint grin on his face. A man walked in as Puck walked out, nearly bumping Puck in the chest with his shoulder.  
The man was burly, about the same size as Burt but with a presence that could scare Sue Slyvester. He strolled in, and spoke to the cashier about car troubles. The cashier immediately began to look around the store, until finally, Sam and Kurt walked up to the counter, bumping each other playfully along the way. The two laid out their goods onto the counter: a bag of chips, Hostess cupcakes and Ding Dongs, two sodas, and powdered donuts. The cashier looked apologetically at the burly man, who simply nodded.  
"Oh my." The cashier turned to Sam and Kurt. " Is this all for you guys tonight?" He asked with a chuckle. Kurt let out a giggle, and Sam just smiled.  
"Yeah, that's all." Sam answered, looking down before being able to look at the cashier. Scary-looking man noticed Sam fluster a little when Kurt giggled.  
"That'll be $10 even." The cashier said with a grin after he finished ringing up all the food. Kurt placed his bag on the table, reached into his purse and dug for his wallet.  
"Out of $10..." said the cashier, the register emitting a _ding! _noise when the drawer opened. Kurt looked up, astounded. He looked at Sam in awe.  
"What?" Sam asked.  
"You didn't have to pay for me, I-"  
"Just accept the gesture, Kurt." Sam said, and Kurt could have swore he saw Sam wink. After the cashier put the boys' items in a plastic bag, he looked at Kurt, then looked out the window.  
"Is that your brother?" He asked Kurt, tipping his head toward Finn. Kurt looked shocked at first, then just plain skepticism washed over his features.  
"...yes. Why do you ask?" Kurt spoke slowly.  
"He told me you knew how to fix your car's engine troubles." The cashier said reassuringly. "This man right here's having car troubles at the moment. Think you could be of assistance?" Kurt's mouthed opened in shock, then he immediately closed it, like a fish. The over six-foot man looked down at Kurt and smiled at him. Kurt's heart began beating significantly quicker.  
"John. John Ryder." said the gigantic man, extending his calloused hand. Kurt shook it lightly, praying that John couldn't feel him trembling.  
"Kurt." Kurt said with a poor excuse for a smile. Sam took a step closer to Kurt, noticing the worry in Kurt's eyes. John had yet to let go of Kurt's hand. A silence filled the gas station for ten long seconds.  
"GUYS!" cried Finn, stumbling into the gas station. Kurt let out an audible yelp when the door burst open, and John had immediately let go of Kurt's hand as soon as he heard the door's entrance sound off.  
"Uh..." Finn looked at Kurt. "What's going on? Did I miss something?" Finn asked, observing how close Sam was standing to Kurt, and how creepily John was staring at Kurt. Kurt looked at his brother with despair, his eyes screaming for help. All it took was one handshake to scare Kurt, he knew in his heart that this guy was trouble. He prayed to GaGa that Finn would see the fear in Kurt's face.  
"Your brother was just about to help John with his truck. He's having engine problems, and you told me about how your brother fixed your car, so I thought-" The cashier rambled before Finn abruptly cut him off.  
"No. Sorry, but we're in a hurry. We have to be at our next stop really soon, so we better-"  
"It won't take long. I'm parked just right there." John interrupted, pointing at the gas pump that was two islands away from Finn's car. "Just some engine trouble."  
"I said no." Finn stated, grabbing Kurt's arm. "Come on, Kurt." Kurt silently thanked Finn as he was led to the car. Sam stayed close behind Kurt, glaring at John on the way out. The cashier just stood there awkwardly.  
Sam opened the door for Kurt as Finn hopped into the front seat. Kurt slid onto the right side of the car, and once Sam closed the door behind him, he held Kurt's hand tenderly.  
"Are you all right?" Sam whispered. Kurt was trembling.  
"I'm fine. Nothing happened, Sam." Kurt whispered back, patting their entwined hands comfortingly. "I'm fine."  
"What happened?" Puck asked. "I've been waiting here for like ten minutes."  
"Some creepy old pervert tried hitting on Kurt." Finn answered for Kurt. "It was really really weird." Finn shuddered. The fear he saw in Kurt's eyes gave him chills.  
"Let's just get out of here." Sam said quietly. Finn started the car and put the car in drive.  
"Wait!" Kurt cried out suddenly. "My-my purse. I left my purse on the table." Kurt said, running a hand through his hair, frustrated.  
"I'll get it for you-" Sam started to open the car door.  
"No thanks, Sam. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself." Kurt said, fully opening the door and walking out. He crossed his arms and jogged back to the gas station. John's truck wasn't at the island it was previously at.  
Kurt opened the door with ease, and the station was empty. The cashier stood at the counter, but no one else was in the store. Kurt froze when he saw the counter.

His bag was gone.

* * *

Kurt gathered up the nerve to walk up to the cashier.  
"Excuse me?" The cashier looked up at Kurt. "Um...did you see a brown leather bag sitting here on the counter? It was here when I left like 5 minutes ago..." The cashier pondered for a duration of half a minute.  
"Oh! That guy...uh, what's-his-name..." Kurt waited patiently. "John! Yeah, John. He took your bag and said he was gonna give it to you." Kurt's heart dropped. He started to feel his heartbeat thudding in his ears.  
"Th-th-thanks." Kurt stuttered, his cheeks burning, tears pooling in fear. "Um, where's your powder room?" The clerk looked at Kurt funny before realizing that Kurt meant the bathroom.  
"Down that hallway, men's on the left." The clerk answered, pointing toward the back of the store. Kurt nodded in thanks and made his way through the aisles of food. Everything looked different than from when he first entered the store. Suddenly, the cracks in the tile on the floor were more prominent. The peeling of the paint on the walls became obvious. Kurt was aware of the minute details of the gas station, and he knew that either he was really tired or drunk. He decided upon the former, and opened the door to the men's bathroom.  
Kurt turned on the lights, and they flickered ominously. _Tragic forshadowing..._Kurt thought to himself. He didn't even need to use the bathroom, per se. He just wanted a moment alone, away from the boys, away from the gas station clerk, and more importantly, away from John Ryder. He looked at himself in the mirror and winced. He was completely discolored, pale from fear and he had faint dark circles underneath his eyes. Kurt turned on the water in the sink and waited for it to turn lukewarm. He splashed his face a few times with water, trying to focus. After 3 or 4 splashes of water to his face, he resorted to drying his face off with his sweater. He let out a heavy sigh. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him.  
"Looking for this?" a voice asked, the noise being the opening of a stall door. Kurt audibly yelped and jumped a couple inches into the air. John Ryder was holding his brown leather bag, strap hanging off of his fingers. Kurt didn't speak for about a minute. John stared at him with piercing, shockingly hazel eyes. Without speaking a word, Kurt walked toward John, hand reaching for his bag.  
"Oh no, little fella. You want this? You want your bag?" John asked, taking Kurt's purse out of reach. A flashback of Sam doing the exact same thing just a couple of hours ago flooded Kurt's brain. His heart started to ache. The fear that was pulsing through Kurt's veins rivaled the fear of when Karofsky kissed him. He was alone in the bathroom with this man, and for all he knew, he could either be raped or killed. Or both.  
"Please return my bag." Kurt said quietly, his voice suddenly raspy.  
"Beg for it." John said with a wicked grin on his face.  
"Please..." Kurt felt tears begin to sting his eyes.  
"Beg. For. It." John stated slowly, walking toward the lithe, small boy. Kurt shed a single tear.  
"Please just give me back my bag." Kurt whispered. John dropped the bag into Kurt's hands, and Kurt clutched the bag for dear life. John stepped even closer to Kurt. Kurt was paralyzed.  
"You're a pretty one, aren't ya?." John whispered, his chin on top of Kurt's head. John wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. Kurt couldn't move; it was like every muscle in his body had shut down. John pressed his body against Kurt for what felt like hours before Kurt finally felt a shock of adrenaline.  
Suddenly, Kurt managed to shove John away from him, forcing him to slam his back onto the door of a stall. Kurt took this opportunity to run for his life. The bathroom's exit looked as if it were miles away. Kurt all but sprinted before that calloused hand grabbed his elbow forcefully.  
"Going somewhere?" John twirled Kurt around to face him once again. Kurt, now that he finally had some sense into him, screamed. He screamed louder than he had ever before in his life. John's hand immediately clamped down on Kurt's mouth.  
"You don't have to scream, little one. I just want to play. Just for a little bit." John was struggling to keep Kurt still. Everything suddenly became clear in Kurt's mind. However, before Kurt could lift up his knee to inflict major pain to John's groin, John stomped on Kurt's foot and kept it there. He then proceeded to grab Kurt by the throat, choking him.

This was Kurt's nightmare. The bullies at McKinley had never done anything like it. He'd been thrown into dumpsters and slushied, but bullies never harmed the one thing that truly mattered to Kurt: his voice.

Just when Kurt started to flail wildly, the choking abruptly stopped, and Kurt fell to the ground. He was now officially sobbing, his hands covered his neck as he scrambled across the room. He looked at John, who was tackled to the ground by a figure who Kurt couldn't make out through his blurred, teary eyes. He mustered up the remaining strength in his body and managed to stand up and walk toward the bathroom exit. As he opened the door, he heard John cry out in pain. He didn't bother looking back.

As soon as Kurt walked outside of the bathroom and into the gas station, avoiding the stare of the gas station clerk, he was bombarded by Finn. The other figure that Kurt still couldn't make out, stood next to Finn. He assumed it was Puck, because he stood there awkwardly.  
"Kurt!" Finn cried out, hugging his younger brother in a tight embrace. Kurt recognized Finn's smell immediately. "Are you okay? We heard a scream from the car...was it...was it you?" Finn remained hugging Kurt as he asked the question. He felt Kurt nod in his arms.  
"I was so scared...so scared, Kurt. I'm never letting you out of my sight ever again, ever. Do you hear me?" Finn was mumbling words as he rocked Kurt back and forth in his arms. The bathroom door opened and closed as Kurt's savior walked into the gas station. Kurt felt Finn's embrace lighten, and then he felt someone else hugging him. Kurt sobbed more, not caring who was hugging him. He just needed to feel safe, and in someone's arms, he did.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you sooner, Princess." said the voice above Kurt. Kurt froze for a second. He had assumed that Sam was the one who saved him, because, well...maybe it was wishful thinking, but he had never expected to look up and stare into the brown eyes of Noah Puckerman.


	3. 3: The One with the Hotel

A/N: Thank you so much for all the feedback! It's very much appreciated. And I just wanted to apologize for all the negativity that has been flowing through that last chapter, and don't worry, there is definitely some fluff coming up! And sorry this took so long!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee, the Hitcher references, or the LifeAlert reference - LOL.

**THIS IS BEST READ IN THE 3/4 FORMAT. Check your upper/mid right side of the page to change! :)**

Thanks again to all the reviewers and readers, and hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

**3: The One with the Hotel **

* * *

"I... I don't..."  
"Kurt! You have to tell me what happened!"  
"I...I..." A sob echoes loudly in the car.  
"Puck." Sam glared at him in the moonlight. "Leave him alone. He's had a rough night..." Kurt sniffled. Sam handed him another tissue. "Just let him rest, dude." Sam finished quietly.

The four boys sat in the car in near silence. Kurt made it apparent to the boys that he absolutely refused to speak on what happened, despite Puck's forceful attempts to make him retell the story. Kurt was still faintly shaking, so Sam had removed Kurt's seat belt and pulled him into his arms. All through Highway 33, Kurt lay in Sam's arms, for the first time feeling genuinely safe. And much like the night before, Kurt was way too exhausted to push Sam away. That is, if he even wanted to push Sam away.

* * *

"Kurt...Kurt, wake up." Kurt opened one eye wearily. It was still dark out, so it couldn't be morning, Kurt reasoned. He sat up and stretched to the best of his ability, since he was still in the car, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.  
"What time is it?" Kurt asked, ignoring Sam's arms desperately trying to pull him back. Nevertheless, in the end Sam was physically stronger than Kurt, and managed to pull Kurt back into his lap.  
"Almost midnight. Finn and Puck just went to go check in, then we're gonna get you inside and go to sleep, okay?" Kurt's head was in Sam's lap, and Sam was slowly rubbing Kurt's temples. Kurt surprisingly made no effort to scold Sam for touching his moisturized face. Kurt took solace in Sam's arms, like towers. Sam wanted nothing more than to protect Kurt with everything he had in his being.

If someone were to tell Kurt earlier this morning that he'd have his head in Sam's lap in a non-sexual way, and that Sam held him for a good hour on the drive, he would've promptly slapped them in the face, Mercedes-style. Yet here he was-sitting in silence with Sam, alone. While it may have seemed awkward to someone looking in from the outside, Kurt cherished the quietness of the situation. He appreciated the fact that Sam wasn't pressing him to talk, and how they could just _be._ It was like Sam understood without Kurt having to say anything.

"I'm sorry." Sam mumbled, breaking the silence. Kurt could barely hear him.

"What?" Kurt sat up again. He needed to make sure he heard Sam right.

"I said I'm sorry." Sam was looking down. Kurt's jaw dropped, then closed again.

"What on earth could you possibly be sorry for?" Before Sam could answer, however, a knock on the car window made both boys jump and nearly hit the car's ceiling.

"C'mon loverboys. Time to finally get you that room you've practically been begging for." Kurt rolled his eyes at Puck's joke. It was almost like Puck was deliberately trying to ruin every single one of Kurt and Sam's private moments. It was oddly frustrating.

Kurt hopped out of the car and nearly tripped on his own two feet. Due to the fact that he was constantly being held by Sam, his didn't realize how...fragile he really was. Sam was quick to assist him, just a second before Puck managed to sweep Kurt off his feet. Sam held Kurt by his waist, and pressed his forehead against the smaller boy.

"Take things slow, please. I don't want you getting hurt." Sam whispered, his breath hitting Kurt's face in waves of comfort. Kurt nodded underneath him, and ever so slowly, Sam let go of Kurt.

"Sam, stop looking at me like I'm going to crumble any second. I'm fine." Kurt said with his trademark grin, rolling his blue eyes. Sam's heart ached at the sight of Kurt's smile. It shone even in the darkness of the night.

Puck already had Kurt's bag in his hands so that Sam could remain glued by Kurt's side. The elevator ride up was majorly awkward for Puck, who was forced to stand by while Sam had his arm around Kurt's waist protectively as the three boys watched the numbers on top of the elevator's doors increase. Upon reaching the 3rd floor, they managed to catch Finn talking to himself in front of two doors, mumbling something totally incomprehensible.

"Uh...Finn?" Kurt asked tentatively for the rest of the group. Finn looked up at them.

"Oh..." Finn looked down sheepishly. "Sorry. Just a little..." Finn let out a breath. "...yeah." Finn couldn't bring himself to look at the three boys. The three looked at each other skeptically. But then again, it was Finn. Somewhat-unpredictable-yet-still-predictable Finn, so they weren't going to try to argue with him.

"Well, alright then..." Kurt said, producing a heavy sigh. "Then, what are we doing? Waiting for McQueen to return from the grave? Cause as much as I'd _love_ to stand around and wait patiently for that, I would really enjoy going inside." Sam grinned at Kurt's attitude. It meant he was slowly but surely returning back to being good ol' Kurt, the Kurt that he loved and...

…..wait, loved? Sam flustered at his own thoughts lamely.

"O-kay, well...Kurt, you and I will be taking this room." Puck stated. "Sam and Finn have the room next door, and they're adjoined so you don't have to worry about-"  
"Wait, hold the phone. Who died and made you the King?" Kurt snapped.

"Dude. I don't need to be the king anyway. I'm the knight. Have you seen these-"

"Stop right there. You say that phrase one more time, Puckerman, and I will not hesitate to beat you over with my flat iron."  
"Yeah, no offense dude, but Kurt wants to room with his older brother." Finn's chest puffed up slightly. "It'll make him feel safer." At Finn's statement, Kurt turned his head to look at Sam, who was looking at the ground in disappointment. Puck and Finn were arguing, but all Kurt could feel was his stomach dropping at the sight of Sam's sadness. He finally decided to pipe up.  
"Guys." No response. Puck and Finn continue to argue, only they got significantly louder. Puck was waving his arms around, making foolish and moot points alongside overdramatic gestures. Kurt grabbed one of the card keys when Puck was yelling, straight out of Puck's hand he might add, and gave Sam a look that said _Let's get the hell out of here before they notice. _

"AND BESIDES, I WAS THE ONE WHO SAVED HIM! SO CLEARLY, I AM THE ONLY ONE CAPABLE OF PROTECTING HIM!"  
"You went into the gas station because YOU WERE STILL HUNGRY! So OF COURSE you heard Kurt scream, and OF COURSE YOU GOT TO HIM FIRST!"  
"WELL AT LEAST I DID SOMETHING! SHOWS THAT I CARE!"  
"PUCK, YOU REALLY THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES ABOUT KURT!"  
"I CARE ABOUT HIM MORE THAN YOU DO!"  
"HE'S MY BROTHER! OF COURSE I CARE ABOUT HIM, I LOVE HIM!"  
"WELL, I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM!"  
"YEAH, WELL-" Finn's face dropped.

"You're...you're what_?" _He could not seriously believe what he just heard the words coming out of Puck's mouth.  
"I'm...I think..." Puck was stammering, something that Finn had never seen Puck do before. Ever.  
"Boys!" The door to Kurt and Sam's room opened suddenly, ending their conversation. Kurt looked at Puck and Finn. Their deer-caught-in-the-headlights facial expressions made Kurt feel uneasy and suspicious. He looked at them cautiously.  
"Sam and I are starving. Can we go eat?" Kurt asked hesitantly.  
"I don't think that's such a good idea, Princess." Puck said, maybe with a little too much harshness.  
"Well why not?" Kurt huffed, crossing his arms, still standing in the doorway of his room.  
"I don't want you going out there just yet." Puck said rather gruffly. Kurt was taken back. Finn pulled Kurt aside, encouraging Puck to leave them alone. Puck hesitantly dragged himself into him and Finn's room, taking one last look at Kurt before walking inside.  
"What the hell were you guys talking about?" Kurt demanded as soon as Puck's door closed.  
"Nothing. We were just arguing about stupid stuff, Kurt, please don't worry about it, okay?" Finn pleaded, the despair written all over his face. Kurt groaned.  
"Fine." Kurt muttered, defeated. Finn hated the frown on Kurt's face.  
"How about this...Puck and I will go out and buy us some food. You and Sam can just stay in the room and wait for us. How does that sound?" Kurt pondered this possibility. He did enjoy the fact that he didn't have to go downstairs again. He nodded in agreement. Finn grinned.  
"You just wanna be alone with Sam." He teased. Kurt promptly swatted him in the arm with all his strength, laughing. Finn cried out in mock pain, falling to the floor.  
"Someone please, help! I, Finn Hudson, have fallen and I can't get up!" Finn curled up in the fetal position overdramatically. Kurt was cracking up the whole time, laughing at his brother's typical foolishness.  
"Finn. Finn! Get up, you're gonna make a scene and LifeAlert will seriously show up at your door." Kurt said in between breaths. He offered his hand to Finn and helped his "older" brother up. They stood there, Finn panting and Kurt still laughing.  
"I...I should get back to Sam." Kurt said when Finn just stood there, smiling at him.  
"Of course you should." Finn said, unlocking the door to his room.  
"Finn." Kurt drawled out Finn's name, whining.  
"What! Hey, just don't do anything Santana would do." Kurt rolled his eyes and walked into his room.

* * *

Sam was sitting on the bed nearest to the window, tuning his guitar in nothing but basketball shorts and a wifebeater. Kurt felt his breath rapidly become unsteady, and it wasn't from all the laughing.  
"What took you?" Sam asked, patting the spot next to him on the bed. Kurt obligingly sat down next to Sam.  
"Finn and Puck are going to go out and buy us the food. Apparently, it isn't safe for me to go outside yet." Sam laughed and looked at Kurt.  
"Well, guess you're stuck here with me then." Sam said, green eyes meeting blue. Kurt blushed and looked away. Sam grinned. "My guitar's almost ready to go. Wanna kill some time and sing that duet we never got to sing?" Kurt turned even redder.  
"Uh...sure. I'll just get out of these clothes so I can burn them." Kurt stood up and unzipped his bag. He grabbed a pair of short shorts, feeling brave, and his shirt...wait. Kurt cursed under his breath. He rummaged around his bag a second time to confirm. He sighed. His shirt was missing! The grey/blue shirt, his favorite color. The bag that Puck brought didn't even have clothes in them, just extra necessities and accessories he may need in case of fashion emergencies. Damn designer luggage sets for making all their pieces look the same!  
"Crap." Kurt said aloud, looking for something to wear.  
"What's wrong?" Sam asked, setting down his guitar temporarily.  
"I brought my accessory bag, not my clothes bag, and the one I keep in my purse is missing! It was my favorite color and everything too. I don't have any clothes to wear." Kurt could practically feel the depression in his voice at the words _I don't have any clothes to wear. _They echoed in his mind in shame.  
"Do you...uh, wanna borrow a shirt, or something?" Sam asked, already digging in his gym bag. Kurt flustered yet again.  
"If you don't mind..."  
"Of course I don't. I insist." Sam responded without missing a beat. He walked over to Kurt and handed him a dark blue t shirt that looked way too big for Kurt. Kurt clutched the material in his hands.  
"Thanks." Kurt said, walking (skipping, really) to the bathroom to change. After slipping out of the clothes that had been stained with a creeper's touch and Sam's shirt and Kurt's shorts were on, Kurt took a breath. He quickly looked at the mirror in habit. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Kurt Hummel speaking." Kurt walked out of the bathroom and began to fold his old clothes. "Hey Finn. Pizza?" Kurt snapped his fingers to get Sam's attention. That's when Sam had taken his first look at Kurt. Kurt in shorts and _his _t-shirt. Kurt's legs were like endless rivers of porcelain, flowing in waves of allure. Sam's mouth gaped open, unbeknown to Kurt. He didn't realize Kurt was talking to him until Kurt hissed. Like literally, hissed.  
"Samuel! Is pizza okay or not?" Sam broke out of his Kurt-trance and looked up at Kurt's face.  
"Pizza... yeah, great."  
"Yeah, he said it's fine. Bacon? Yeah, I guess. Bacon's okay, Sam?" Kurt wasn't looking at Sam, he was still folding his clothes.  
"Bacon's fine." Sam was tuning his guitar to perfection.  
"Bacon's fine. Pepperoni? Yeah, okay. Sure. What-Huh? Oh, sausage. Sausage, Sam?"  
"Yeah, okay.."  
"No, no anchovies! What? I don't care what Puck says, I do not want anchovies! Do you want anchovies, Sam?"  
"No thanks." Sam caught himself before he said "sir".  
"No, Sam doesn't want anchovies either. Well Puck to get his own. Oh he did already?"  
"Duh." Sam said to himself.  
"Alright. Oh really? Got it, so that's 3 large meat lover's pizzas, okay Sam?"  
"Sounds good babe."  
"Oh yeah, extra marinara, thanks for remembering Finn. Okay. Sure. See you here. Bye." Kurt hung up the phone and finished putting his clothes away. He was halfway before zipping up his bag when he turned back to Sam.  
"Did you just call me babe?" Sam panicked at Kurt's question.  
"Uh...well, yeah...I guess." Sam stammered, looking extremely embarassed.  
"Oh." was all Kurt could say. All the words he wanted to say refused to leave his lips.

"So...how bout that song now?" Sam asked after a few seconds of silence fell over the room. Kurt nodded and took the spot next to Sam again, this time sitting cross-leggedly. "What do you wanna sing?" Sam asked gently.  
Kurt took this time to genuinely ponder what he wanted to sing with Sam. Sam ran the list of songs he could play on guitar through his head, thinking not only of a song to sing _with_ Kurt, but a song to sing _to_ him.

When Sam finally had an idea, he began to play the opening chords with a smirk. Kurt recognized the song almost immediately-it was one of the songs that he knew that wasn't necessarily a showtune. Sam nodded at Kurt to sing first, with a cheeky grin still on his face, and Kurt quickly realized what the song was about and wondered if Sam had purposely chosen this song.

_Found myself today_

_Singing out loud your name_

_You said I'm crazy_

_If I am, I'm crazy for you_

Kurt giggled as he sang, it was a surprisingly fun and exciting song to sing, considering the tempo. He kept his smile as Sam began to sing, in a lower register than Kurt, of course, but still complimenting Kurt's vocal range.

_Sometimes sitting in the dark_

_Wishing you were here_

_Turns me crazy_

_But it's you who makes me lose my head_

Sam looked at a smiling Kurt, and his heart was immediately filled with warmth. He silently thanked Adele for her amazing, relevant lyrics. Sam was also thankful for the fact that he was playing guitar, because if he wasn't, Kurt would be able to see how Sam's hands were tremendously trembling. Kurt and Sam began to sing lyrics one after the other, perfectly complimenting each other, starting with Kurt.

_And every time I'm meant to be sensible_

_You drift into my head and turn me into a crumbling fool_

Sam sang the words _crumbling fool _with an emphasis that made Kurt let out a hearty laugh. He scooted closer to Sam, close enough that the only thing that was keeping the two from being closer was Sam's guitar. Instead of interchanging the lyrics, the boys sang the next verse together, and when Kurt found the harmony, creating one sound, it was truly music to both of the boys' ears.

_Tell me to run and I'll race_

_If you want me to stop, I'll freeze_

_And if you want me gone I'll leave_

_Just hold me closer baby_

Sam watched Kurt as he sang the last line, and in that moment, all Sam wanted to _do_ was hold Kurt. He saw Kurt take a breath, a deep one, and backed off and let Kurt sing the next line. He knew that he couldn't hit half of those notes anyway. Kurt closed his eyes and let his voice go.

_And make me_

_Crazy for you_

_Crazy for you_

Seeing Sam's face after he opened his eyes was priceless, his mouth wide open and his green eyes widely animated. He had stopped playing as well. Kurt decided to play this out to his advantage, he didn't want to leave a song unfinished, after all. Sam put his guitar to the side, and pressed himself even close to Kurt. But Kurt knew better. He slid away from Sam, and stood in front of him, hands on Sam's knees as he continued to sing a capella.

_My oh my, how my blood boils  
For the sweet taste of you  
Strips me down bare  
And gets me into my favorite mood _

Kurt sang the song in a sultry tone that would put Santana to shame. Sam stuck his tongue out and quickly licked his lips. Kurt grinned and stood up and began walking away from the bed as Sam began to sing the next verse.

_I keep on trying, I'm fighting_

_these feelings away_

_but the more I do_

_The crazier I turn into_

Kurt turned around, facing Sam again. This time with quite some distance and with an expectant look on his face. Sam only managed to sing the first two lines of the next verse before he got a lapful of Kurt.

_Pacing floors and opening doors  
Hoping you'll walk through_

_And save me boy_

_Because I'm too_

Kurt wrapped his arms around Sam's neck as he sang the last two lines. Sam was staring at Kurt so intensely, Kurt could feel the burn staining his cheeks. Kurt sang the next and last two lines with passion, softly, not quite a whisper but not his normal over-the-top volume of singing.

_Crazy for you  
Crazy for you_

Sam's hand made its way to the back of Kurt's neck. He pulled Kurt closer, until their foreheads were touching. Kurt was letting out small breaths, slightly panting from the difficulty of the song. Sam pressed his nose to Kurt's. He could almost literally feel the distance between his lips and Kurt's. Both boys closed their eyes and leaned into each other.

"SOMEBODY ORDER A PIZZA?" A voice came on the other side of the door, causing Kurt to jump off of Sam's lap and fall onto the floor. Sam groaned. This was like dating Quinn, only it wasn't Kurt stopping him, it was other people. He ran a hand through his bleach blonde hair in frustration.

Kurt stood up and rubbed his lower back, and with his other hand, pinched the bridge of his nose and opened the door. Puck stood there, eyebrow raised at the fact that Kurt's legs were very much exposed and he had on Sam's shirt. Puck recognized it because it had the name of Sam's old school on the back of it. Puck felt a rage of jealousy.

"What took you so long to answer?" Puck asked harshly, sauntering into the room, holding 3 pizza boxes. He took a look at Sam, and a look back at Kurt. "Were you two..." Puck said with a smirk.

"PUCK!" Finn followed soon after with two liters of soda. "Thanks for holding the door open, dude." Finn scoffed. Kurt's cheeks were tinted pink, and thankfully, Finn didn't notice.

Everything was set on the table in the room, and Puck and Finn didn't bother saying anything else as they began to scarf the food down so fast they were practically inhaling it. Sam stood up and grabbed a slice. Kurt had his slice already on a plate, and he began to search the plastic bag of napkins.

"Finn, where is my-" Finn handed Kurt a plastic fork. Kurt thanked him and continued eating his pizza, sitting next to Sam. As he ate, he and Sam stole glimpses of each other with huge smiles on their face. Even if they were trying to be subtle, Puck definitely noticed. Finn noticed too at first but honestly thought nothing of it, he was much too wrapped up in the goodness of the cheesy pizza. Different thoughts and emotions were running through each other boys' heads. It wasn't much of a surprise that Puck and Finn were both oblivious to the circumstance, even though Puck was adamant about how protective he was of Kurt.

* * *

Somewhere else, in an undisclosed, isolated location, John Ryder was clutching a piece of fabric to his face, inhaling the scent like the boys were inhaling the pizza. He sat in his truck silently, rubbing the material against his cheek. The shirt was definitely cotton, but against his skin it was as if it was silk. The parking lot John had parked in was completely empty, but it was well past midnight, so that wasn't much of a surprise.

Empty? Or so John had thought. A car pulled into the parking lot, and parked on the adjacent side of the building. As the inhabitants of the car stepped out, John placed the grey/blue shirt on his passenger seat. He leaned closer to the dashboard and squinted his eyes. _Could it be...?_

John Ryder watched as Puck and Finn walked into the pizza shop, order three pizzas, and leave. As they got back into their car and left the parking lot, John started his truck. Keeping his headlights off, he furtively pulled out of the parking out and followed Finn's car to the boys' hotel.

* * *

A/N: Surprised? Review if you please! Thanks for reading!

Coming up next: What happens when Sam and Kurt share a room? Why does Sam wake Kurt up so early in the morning? Will Puck tell Kurt or Sam how he feels? Will SAM tell Kurt how HE feels? Will Kurt wear even more of Sam's clothes? What does John have in mind, anyway? Stay tuned!


	4. 4: The One with the Mall and the Bar

**ATTENTION: I was reading over the storyboad (the layout for the next couple of chapters) and I realized how unsatisfied I am with this chapter, because it doesn't flow into the next chapter well enough. So I am so sorry for that mistake, I posted this chapter way too early, and if you're reading this message then know that I have edited the shopping scene and the restaurant scene a lot, and any changes that have been made should be fairly obvious. Again, I am so sorry, but I only want to make it more enjoyable for you all. Thanks for understanding! :)**

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who read, favorited, and reviewed this story! You are all so amazing, I didn't think I'd get more than like, 10 reviews, honestly. Basically I'm excited for this story to progress, and everyone's reviews and alerts just speed up the process. Thanks again!

If anyone's noticed, I tend to start the chapters off with dialogue. (Remember, 3/4 mode!) I don't know why, I find it easier to ease into the chapter with witty banter. ALSO: for all my Dalton fanboys and fangirls, Reed makes a cameo in this chapter :) I tried asking CP Coulter if that was okay, but I got no response =( But I'm not upset! I understand that she's really busy, so that's okay.

Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still do not own Glee. BUT MAJOR CONGRATS TO CHRIS COLFER, GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER! WHOO!

* * *

**4: The One With the Mall and Karaoke Bar**

* * *

"No."  
"Puck!  
"Kurt."  
"Please?"  
"I just said no."  
"Puck, dude, c'mon...it's just a shopping mall."  
"There's no way.  
"They have a food court."  
"I'm in!"  
"No one was talking to you, Finn."  
"Oh."  
"Just do it for Kurt, Puck."  
"I'm not saying no again."  
"So you'll say yes!"  
"Not what I meant."  
"They serve waffles." A considerable pause.  
"...okay, I'm in."

* * *

After completely destroying the 3 boxes of pizza (one for Finn, one for Puck, and one for Sam and Kurt, respectively), the boys began to argue over the next day's festivities. Puck wanted to do something that would hopefully involve seeing a vulnerable Kurt and saving him again, so the beach he was all for. He could go all badass Baywatch on Kurt, give him mouth to mouth or something. Finn just wanted to eat. Kurt wanted to go shopping, and Sam just wanted to be with Kurt. But now that waffles had been mentioned in Puck's presence, the debate was over.  
Finn stood up, organizing the empty boxes of pizza that needed to be recycled.  
"I'll go find out where I can throw these away, then I'm gonna hit the hay. I'm pooped." Finn high-fived Sam and gave Kurt a bear hug in farewell. He picked up the pizza boxes and made his way to the door. Puck snickered.  
"This time last year Finn barely knew the difference between paper and plastic. Now he's recycling. Think you've finally managed to influence him, Princess." Puck said, lightly punching Kurt on the shoulder. Kurt smiled. He was glad Finn was learning from him; it was just more proof that Kurt rightfully deserved to be the older brother. Puck fist-bumped Sam and opened his arms to hug Kurt. Kurt weakly hugged him back, but Puck was not having that. He leaned into Kurt and gave him a light peck on the cheek. When he looked up, he was caught in Sam's death gaze. Puck raised an eyebrow and smirked.  
"Sweet dreams, Princess."  
"Good night, Noah." Kurt flushed. Sam could've sworn all he could see was red.

As soon as Puck left the room, Sam wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, hugging him from behind. Kurt squirmed beneath him, giggling. He managed to break away for a second before Sam tried to grab him again.

"Sam! Sam, stop, we need to go to bed! Seriously!" Sam grabbed Kurt by the wrist and twirled him around. He spun Kurt in order to make him face him.

"Dance with me." Sam whispered.

"Sam, it's 3 in the morning."

"And?"

"You can't be serious." Sam gave him a look and spun Kurt again, earning a squeal as Sam dipped Kurt nearly to the ground. When he whipped Kurt back up, Kurt was breathless.

Sam had seen this scene in movies before. Sam's hands were on Kurt's waist, and Kurt's arms were wrapped loosely on Sam's shoulders. Kurt's head was pressed up against Sam's chest, and Sam's head was resting on top of Kurt's.

"Kurt, I need to tell you something." Sam whispered, painfully quiet. He felt the vibrations of Kurt mumbling in his chest. Sam took a deep breath.

"I don't know how...or when it started. But, seeing you in trouble today...er, technically last night." Sam laughed nervously. "It really got me to thinking...holding you in my arms for that long got me to thinking. And...well, I guess what I'm trying to say is...I have feelings for you. Strong ones. I'm just hoping that I don't look stupid right now. So, Kurt?" They weren't dancing so much as just standing there in each other's arms, idle. Sam waited to see if Kurt had heard him. Unfortunately, it had been at least a minute and Kurt hadn't said anything.

Sam looked down at Kurt, who had inherently fallen asleep on Sam's chest, despite the fact that they were standing. Sam grinned at Kurt's sleeping face, not caring that he hadn't heard his question.

Slowly, Sam picked up Kurt bridal-style and laid him down on his bed. Kurt stirred for a quick second, but swiftly went back to sleeping peacefully. Sam brushed away the hairs that had fallen in Kurt's face, kissed his forehead, and went to his own bed.

* * *

"Please...

Please...just let me go...

PLEASE, STOP! YOU'RE HURTING ME! SOMEONE, PLEASE!"

Kurt's cries shattered the silence in the room faster than it had taken him to fall asleep in the first place. Sam awoke in a heartbeat, jumped out of his bed, and rushed to Kurt's side immediately.

"Kurt. Kurt, baby. Wake up! You're having another nightmare! Kurt!" When calling Kurt's name didn't work, Sam reached out to lightly shake Kurt. As soon as Sam's fingers came into contact with Kurt's body, Kurt woke up, screaming, tears streaming down his face. Sam hugged him immediately, cradling Kurt's lithe body. Kurt then began to openly sob, no longer holding back his cries. Sam started to tear up too, scared for Kurt.

Rapid raps came from the adjoining door, followed by a loud pounding.

"It's open!" Sam called out, not wanting to get up from the bed. The door quickly opened, and in rushed Puck and a disheveled Finn.

"What happened? What did you do?" Puck demanded upon entering.

"Yeh, wha…..'appening…" Finn managed to grumble, eyes still half open. Sam put a finger to his lips, motioning for the boys to come over to the bed but to be silent about it. Sam spoke in a hushed whisper.

"This is Kurt's third nightmare in the past two hours, you guys. I'm kinda worried." Genuine concern was plastered all over Sam's face. "I think it's post-traumatic stress. He never fully falls asleep. It's like...like his body won't let him." Sam explained, looking at Kurt. He wanted, needed to do something…but he didn't know what. It was a horrible feeling for Sam, being defenseless against the nightmares that haunted Kurt. He stirred in his sleep, pulling Sam closer. Puck raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, Sam had an idea.

"Puck, grab my guitar." Puck gave him a questioning look. Sam countered it with a pressing look, and Puck rolled his eyes and went to get the guitar.

"Bedroom by Daphne Loves Derby. Know the chords?" Sam demanded.

"No. What the hell kind of fruity song is that?" Puck scoffed.

"Puck, seriously dude, do you know the chords?"

"...yeah." Puck grumbled and started playing said chords. Sam and Puck looked at each other, then back and Finn, who was asleep on Sam's bed. Puck shrugged. Sam looked at Kurt, whose head was currently on Sam's chest. Sam rubbed small circles on his back as he began to sing.

_Show me something good that's still worth fighting for  
I'm not quite sure how  
You survive the storms inside of your soul_

Sam looked at Puck, who was looked deeply at Kurt. Sam motioned for him to sing, and Puck, surprisingly, obliged without hesitation.

_And ever since the start of this  
I turn to you when I need something more  
Than this empty road that I follow_

Disbelief was written all over Sam's face at the tenderness of Puck's voice. Sam hadn't heard it before, but the only time Puck sang like this was when he sang "Beth" to Quinn. Puck continued to play, urging Sam to sing the chorus. Sam moved his hand from Kurt's back to Kurt's hair.

_So can I just hold you tonight?_

_Can I just hold onto you and make this right?_

Puck decided to join Sam's voice soon after. Their voices combined melded together quite nicely. Not as beautiful as it was singing with Kurt, of course, but beautiful nonetheless.

_I'll take apart what is left and leave it  
I've come to see that I'll never make it  
__On my own_

Sam took the next verse as Kurt began to adorably stir in his sleep again, engulfed by Sam's warmth. Sam grinned. Puck rolled his eyes.

_I can't imagine all the things that haunt your head while you lay in bed  
__And you try to find a reason to stay here  
__Ever since the start of this, I never knew the right thing to say to you  
__The right way to get you through_

Puck solemnly decided to back off. On the song, anyway. He didn't feel like singing much anyway. And it totally wasn't because he could feel a choke in the back of his throat. Badasses don't cry, dude.

_So can I just hold you tonight?_

_Can I just hold onto you and make this right?_

_I'll take apart what is left and leave it_

_I've come to see that I'll never make it _

_On my own  
On my own_

Puck finished playing, and looked at the sight before him. A very asleep Kurt on Sam, and a teary-eyed Sam with Kurt in his arms. He chose to ignore the rather loud snoring coming from Finn on Sam's bed. Sam looked at Puck.

"I think he's finally fully asleep. I'll just stay here." Sam stated. "Could you and Finn-"

"I get it, Sam." Puck snapped harshly. "We'll go. We'll leave you to your damsel in distress." Puck stomped over to Sam's bed. He violently shook Finn and all but dragged him back to their room. Sam held a sleeping Kurt tightly, choosing to ignore Puck's attitude, joyous that he was finally asleep. Puck looked back at the bed, and with a smug look on his face, slammed the door as loudly as possible. Kurt awoke in a quick second, nearly hitting Sam in the face with his head. Sam groaned.

"...S-Sam? What are you doing? What happened?" Kurt asked groggily. His raspy, deep morning voice was too cute to Sam. _Probably from all the crying..._Sam thought. He shushed Kurt and pulled him back down to cuddle.

"Just go back to sleep, babe." Sam said as Kurt allowed himself to be pulled back into Sam's arms.

"Stop calling me that." Kurt snipped. Sam hoped that it was just the rude awakening that caused Kurt to say this.

"Make me." Sam countered as Kurt tilted his head to look up at Sam. Sam grinned when Kurt rolled his eyes.

"...fine." Kurt gave up, holding onto Sam. "Just because you're warm and I'm freezing my ass off by myself over here." Sam let out a quiet laugh.

"Whatever you say, babe." Sam managed to say before they both fell asleep, again, with smiles on both of their faces.

* * *

Sam half opened his eyes. It was still somewhat dark out, and he felt empty and chilly. Surprisingly chilly. Sam fully opened his eyes and realized that his source of heat had gone missing.

"Kurt?" He called out, groggy and disoriented. "Kurt?" He repeated, promptly beginning to slightly panic. Sam sat up, trying to listen for any sign of life in the room. He threw the blankets off and slid off of the bed. He made sure he didn't make any noise, his bare feet tiptoeing around the room. Suddenly he heard a noise. A sob, coming from the bathroom. Sam's heart began to race immediately.

He walked over to the bathroom door, ear pressing against wood in attempt to hear what was going on inside. Sam could faintly hear Kurt crying. Sam's heart dropped. Then suddenly, he heard the sound of glass shattering. Sam swiftly swung open the door to find Kurt standing in front of the bathroom mirror, which was, shockingly, in one piece. Sam glanced over at the sink and did a double take. The sink, which currently had Kurt's broken compact in it, had been the source of the noise. Kurt had both hands on the sides of the sink, head down, crying. Sam checked to make sure that there was no broken glass on the ground, then made his way to Kurt.

"Kurt...Kurt, what's wrong?" Sam asked. It was lame, he knew, of course something was wrong. But he didn't know what else to say. He waited for a response amongst Kurt's cries.

"Please...just please leave." Kurt said, refusing to look up at Sam.

"No." Sam was defiant. Plus, a broken mirror and an angry, crying teen were not exactly the best things to mix together.

"Sam, please! Just-"

"What happened to your mirror?"

"I...I just...nothing..."

"Don't lie to me." Kurt finally looked up at Sam. His eyes were damn near bloodshot, his hair was all over the place, and tears streaked his cheeks.

"Look at me Sam. I'm freaking mess. I look in the mirror and all I see is..." Kurt coughed, unable to finish that sentence. "I've never felt like this before, Sam. This scared. It's putrid..." Kurt groaned softly. "... I'm putrid." Kurt looked down again. Sam instinctively used his index finger to lift Kurt's chin to face him.

"You are not a mess. And you are definitely not putrid." Sam said slowly. Kurt sniffled. "Let me show you something." Sam pulled Kurt out of the bathroom. They re-entered their hotel room, a slimmer of the sun peaking through the curtains from outside. Sam grabbed a sweater from his bag and gave it to Kurt.

"Put it on. It's cold outside." Sam instructed.

"What about you?" Kurt asked. His voice was still somewhat raspy from all the crying.

"Don't worry about me. I have you to hold onto." Kurt looked down immediately and slipped on Sam's hoodie. Sam grabbed some slippers and led Kurt outside. Kurt squinted at he brightness of the hallway. Sam held onto Kurt's hand as they walked toward the elevator. Kurt didn't speak a word. He was too sleepy and emotionally drained to care. The elevator ride down was silent, consisting mostly of Sam hugging Kurt from behind, and Kurt snuggling closer.

The two boys made their way to the parking lot, ignoring the stares of the hotel clerks and workers.

"Close your eyes." Sam commanded. When they exited the building, Kurt immediately shivered. Sam held his waist even tighter. He led Kurt to the side of the hotel building, where the horizon was clearly visible, the sun peeking out. Sam waited for a few minutes, and then he felt Kurt go even more placid.

"No. No! Kurt, wake up." Sam gently shook Kurt. Kurt grumbled.

"What is so important that you must drag me out here in the freezing cold..."

"Open your eyes." Sam said, the timing more perfect than ever.

Kurt opened his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. He looked at the sight before him, then up at Sam, then back at the sight. The sun was moving just above the horizon, beginning to brighten the sky with its magnificence. The sky was a color that was not yet blue, but way past black. It was a grey/blue color. It was Kurt's favorite color. Needless to say, it was a sunrise that Kurt would never forget. Sam squeezed Kurt's waist and smirked.

"This...this is beautiful." Kurt said, breathless. Sam found Kurt's stammering adorable. He was also proud that he was the one who put the smile on Kurt's face.

"I'm glad you like it." Sam said.

"Like it? I absolutely love it." Kurt said with a smile. Sam fought the urge to say "I love you". He wanted to say it, everything in his being wanted to say it. But he knew that the timing wasn't right. He wanted anything to do with Kurt to be perfect.

After standing on the side of the building for some time, watching the sky change colors in complete and utter silence, Sam spoke up.

"Kurt? Ready to go inside?" Sam asked. He felt Kurt nod. They walked back into the building, this time, hand-in-hand. As they made their way through the parking lot, however, something caught Kurt's eye.

"Sam." Kurt stopped walking. Sam looked at him incredulously.

"What's wrong babe?" Kurt shook his head. Sam's smile faded. Something had to be really wrong if Kurt wasn't going to scold him for calling him "babe". Sam scanned the parking lot to find whatever Kurt was looking at, but failed.

"Kurt...what is it? You're scaring me..." Kurt crossed the parking lot, toward a parked car that Sam didn't recognize. Kurt bent down to the passenger side's tires. Sam's breath was caught when Kurt reached down, almost underneath the car, and pulled out a ragged shirt that was a blue/grey color.

"It's him. He's here." Kurt whispered. "Sam, he's here."

* * *

"Are you sure it was-"

"Yes, damn it Puck, I'm sure!' _That _shut Puck up. Kurt never talked like that to him, ever. Hearing him swear was enough to make Puck's eyes bulge.

"Kurt, just calm yourself, dude. We're almost to the mall." Finn said, uncomfortable from all the tension in his car.

After Kurt came sprinting to Puck and Finn's room, waking them up with his incessant pounding on the door alone, Sam had to explain what happened because Kurt was so flustered. Kurt had interjected with cries and screams, breathless. Finn and Puck were both too exhausted to listen to the whole story, and even though Puck was terrified, he put on a brave face. For Kurt. It was bad enough that Finn was freaking out, Kurt needed someone to be brave for him. Besides Sam. Puck frowned at the thought of Sam being courageous for Sam.

"Fine. I don't want to go shopping pissed off anyway. When I shop in a bad mood, I miss all the sales and end up spending way more money than necessary." None of the boys decided to argue with him. A pissed-off Kurt was a formidable opponent. A pissed-off-but -till-terrified, post-traumatic-stressed-out Kurt meant you already lost the match.

"Why would you need to go shopping anyway?" Puck shot at Kurt, faking his defiance. He was secretly trembling as he spoke to Kurt. "Why don't you just borrow another one of Blondie's sweaters?" Sam raised an eyebrow. Did he just hear a pang of jealousy in Puck's voice?

Kurt looked down at the sweater he was currently wearing and blushed. After explaining the story to Finn, he gave all of them an approximate five minutes to be in the car. Kurt hadn't bothered changing...Sam's sweater was too warm. And it's not like Sam minded...he hoped.

"Yeah, why are you wearing Sam's sweater?" Finn asked. Kurt let out a barely audible gulp. Puck he could lie to, but his brother? Something in him just couldn't explain. "Please tell me you guys didn't-"

"LOOK! WE'RE HERE!" Sam cried out before Finn could finish his sentence. Kurt looked at him in awe and noticed that Sam was blushing. Kurt giggled and smiled at Sam, who looked away immediately, embarrassed.

* * *

Once inside the mall, the personal shoppers quickly took a liking to Kurt. One of them, named Reed, quickly begins to shop with Kurt as if they've been friends for years.

Sam is stuck with them, following them around while holding Kurt's bags (something that he will deny if ever asked in the future). He doesn't quite understand what they're talking about; they're chattering so fast that he could only catch certain adjectives like "silk", "cashmere" and the occasional sentence, "Oh My God is that Balenciaga?" He silently scolds Puck and Finn for leaving him alone, having made their way to the food court to eat a much needed breakfast.

Reed was a very blunt person. Sam had to find this out the hard way, when he brought up a sensitive topic within the first ten minutes of seeing Sam and Kurt.

"Oh my God! You guys are _such _a cute couple!" Reed gushed when he saw Sam holding one of Kurt's shopping bags.

"What? ...Oh! Oh...no, we aren't..." Kurt stammered.

"I'm not...we're not exactly...well, I want to...but...uh..." Sam stuttered as Kurt blushed. Reed tilted his head at them in confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"We aren't in a relationship." Kurt explained. "We're...just...friends. Right, Sam?" Kurt looked at Sam.

"Yeah! Yeah. You're totally right, ba-"

"O-KAY, so let's get going!" Kurt cried out, purposely interrupting Sam before he could call Kurt "babe" in front of Reed. He had enough of Finn's questions, he didn't think he could handle any of Reed's. Kurt walked over to a rack of sweaters and gasped.

"Reed! What do you think of this?" Kurt held up a cream colored scoop neck Dolce & Gabana sweater, trying to change the subject and distract Reed. Reed pursed his lips and looked at the sweater up and down. Kurt looked at Reed with hope in his eyes. Before Reed could respond, however, he was interrupted.

"That sweater is gorgeous." A voice that wasn't Reed's responded. Both boys looked up from the sweater to find the source of the voice.

The boy standing before them had to have been Kurt's age, although he could've passed for much younger. His hair was the exact same color as Kurt, they were approximately the same height, and his sense of fashion was impeccable. The only major difference that only Sam managed to notice was the sheer fact that the other Kurt's eyes were a striking hazel. It made his skin look a shade different from Kurt.

Kurt must've noticed the fact that this boy looked exactly like him too, because his jaw dropped on sight. Reed's jaw dropped too, but at least he had the good sense to say something.

"Wh-wh-...what kind of pants would go with this sweater?" Reed asked. He still had to do his job. Kurt rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Wait! First of all, who are you!" Kurt demanded. Other Kurt smiled and looked down sheepishly before answering.

"I'm Noel. I designed that sweater." Noel offered his hand. Kurt's mouth remained opened until Reed stuck his arm out and manually closed it.

"Kurt. Kurt Hummel. Your designs are absolutely lovely, Noel." Kurt shook his hand politely.

"You're Noel Parker? THE Noel Parker! You design like, half of the stuff in this boutique! I've restocked your clothes like, twice a day!" Reed exclaimed, promptly sticking his hand out to shake Noel's hand as well.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks." Noel flashed an award winning smile, similar to Kurt's. "Hey, if you're going to buy that sweater, they go great with these pants." Noel reached over to a nearby rack and pulled out a pair of skinny black cargos with a bunch of complicated looking zippers. Kurt gulped. It looked about three sizes too small.

"Perfect!" Reed exclaimed, and Kurt's eyes widened. Reed grabbed the pants from Noel and took Kurt's arms. "Let's go try these on!" he said with a grin.

"I better get going..." Noel said suddenly. "I gotta meet someone for dinner. It was nice meeting you guys."

"You too!" Reed and Kurt chorused as Noel walked off with a wave.

For the moment, Sam was sitting on a couch in the dressing room while Kurt and Reed were trying on clothes. At first glance, Sam thought that Reed was this small, young and innocent salesperson. But everything he was hearing right now instilled the fear of Reed into his heart.

"REED! This is not going to fit, it's not-"

"DON'T TALK! YOU'RE LETTING TOO MUCH AIR OUT!"

"This is like, three sizes too small for me!"

"NO EXCUSES."

Kurt gasps.

"ALMOST THERE!"

Kurt cries out.

"SO CLOSE!"

_Dear God..._thinks Sam.

"AHHHHH!" Kurt nearly screams, and a zipper is heard. The cashier at the register looks over at Sam, then at the dressing room, then back at Sam. He shrugs. The door to the dressing room unlocks, and Reed emerges.

"He looks fabulous, as always." Reed reports, skipping along to put away the clothes that Kurt wasn't going to purchase. A moan is heard from the dressing room. It sounds something along the lines of "damn insane maniac".

"Kurt?" Sam calls out, standing up and walking toward the dressing room. "Are you..." Sam struggles for the right word. "...alive?" Kurt chooses then to emerge from the dressing room, and Sam promptly forgets every single word and letter from the English and Na'vi languages. The pants that Reed put him definitely _was _three sizes too small. They had zippers everywhere, across Kurt's thigh in zig zags, up and around his calf and even his back pockets were zippered. And holy lack of circulation Batman, they were _tight._ Like, pretty much painted-on tight. Sam audibly gulped. Kurt looks at Sam looking him up and down and shivers, but appreciated the fact that his legs have the ability to turn Sam into goop.

Kurt curls his finger to call Sam over, into the dressing room. Sam looks around sheepishly, then follows Kurt. He closes the door behind him. The dressing room seems a lot smaller when Sam steps in, but Kurt doesn't mind. Not at all.

"So, why did you bring me in here?" Sam quietly whispers. Kurt blushes.

"I, uh...well.." he stammered. Sam grinned. It was all so cute. "I can't get out of these pants by myself..." Kurt whispered in one breath, promptly turning red. Sam's eyes widened to comical proportions.

"I'm sorry. You-you what?"

"I'm so sorry, I know this is awkward. But Reed's on his lunch break and won't be back for another half hour and Sam...I CAN'T BREATHE." Kurt practically yelled at the last part.

"Okay, okay Kurt, I get it. So how am I gonna help you with..." Kurt unbuttoned his pants, and Sam's cheeks tinted pink. Kurt let out a long, drawled breath.

"Finally.." Kurt muttered, unzipping his fly. Sam looked away immediately. Kurt placed his fingers on his belt loops.

"Sam...this is where I need your help. I'm gonna sit on this bench, could you just grab the hem of the pants and pull?" Sam couldn't say anything. He was afraid if he did he'd just look stupid and unintelligible. So he resorted to nodding, and grabbed the hem of Kurt's pants.

It took a good 10 minutes to get the pants off of Kurt. Lucky for Sam, Kurt was wearing tights underneath (he has a strict rule about trying on clothes without wearing something underneath) so he didn't get to see anything that would make their friendship (relationship?) uncomfortable. Sam noticed that Kurt looked a lot less pale when he got back into his old pants.

"Thanks, Sam. Sorry that was so...awkward" Kurt looked at Sam as they left the store.

"Of course..." Sam said, looking away. It wasn't that it was awkward for Sam. It was just such a turn-on. He had no idea how he managed to hide his-

"Hey there's Kurt and Sam!" Puck said, jogging over from the food court to the two boys, saving Sam from his dirty thoughts. Filthy, really.

"What'd you buy?" Finn asked Kurt, attempting to take a look into his shopping bags. Kurt pulled them away immediately.

"Just a sweater, a couple bowties, a necklace for Mercedes, some pants..." Sam turned red when Kurt mentioned the pants. "...and-oh! This scarf!" Kurt exclaimed playfully, pulling out said scarf. "So cute, right?" The boys just looked at him and nodded. They all have learned to never tell Kurt what they really think of his clothes...to just nod and smile.

"Hungry yet?" Puck asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Starving." Kurt answered, rubbing his stomach. He scanned the food court, and gasped. "Oh! Is that a karaoke bar? How adorable, we have to go!" Kurt cried out, walking over to said bar. Puck and Finn looked at each other.

"Uh, we just ate." They said at the same time.

"So? I haven't. And, look! It's happy hour! Ribs and fries and tacos for $2 each!" Finn and Puck looked at each other again, and made a race to the door.

* * *

"What happened to 'we just ate'?" Sam asked, staring at the two boys who were currently gulping down what had to be their fourth, fifth, or sixteenth plate of fries and ribs. Neither Sam nor Kurt knew what the response to that was, all they heard was "mhmpmhmmffm". Kurt rolled his eyes and daintily dipped his fry into ketchup. The only time Finn wasn't eating was when he took a breath to breathe. At least Puck took a significant break from eating, he went to the bathroom to wash off all of the barbecue sauce off of his face.

Upon arriving, Kurt managed to bump into Noel (literally) while on the way to wash his hands. It was an awkward conversation to say the least, although Noel did seem a little drunk, which actually made it even more awkward. Kurt managed to break away before Noel could try anything risque, however. He shuddered as he walked back to the table.

The four boys were currently sitting together in a circle at a table, watching random strangers go up and sing karaoke. The man who was singing Brian McKnight's "Back to One" had just finished singing and stepped off stage. The emcee for the night took his place and looked at the crowd with interest.

"Everybody give another round of applause for Andrew!" The people sitting down clapped as the emcee did. "Anyone else want to give karaoke a try? Anyone? Sign up sheet's over here!" When no one spontaneously volunteered, the emcee walked over to the band, who handed him a clip board.

"Next people signed up are...Kurt and Sam!" A spotlight hit the two boys, who were currently paralyzed from shock. They looked at each other in surprise.

"H-h-how?" Kurt cried out quietly, the entire establishment staring at him.

"I-I-I don't-" Sam stuttered. Puck snickered. Sam and Kurt glared at him.

"What!" Puck snapped. "I went to the bathroom and the dude asked me if I wanted to sing. I don't do karaoke bars. Too badass. But I thought it would funny if you guys sang-"

"Come on up Sam and Kurt!" the emcee said, with a little trace of annoyed in his voice.

Kurt shrugged and stood up. There was clapping as Sam stood up as well and the two made their way toward the stage in the front of the restaurant.

"Alright everybody, give a warm welcome to Sam and Kurt!" The audience clapped yet again. "These two will be singing..." the emcee checked the clip board. Kurt held his breath, not knowing what Puck had in his sick mind.

"...The Closer I Get to You!" Kurt's eyes flew open as everyone clapped and the band started to play. Sam looked at Kurt with a grin. Kurt smiled back, heart racing.

_No good could come from this, _Kurt thought.

* * *

Kurt bit his lip nervously and tugged on the fringes of his brand new grey wool scarf. He had wrapped it around his neck during dinner, amused with how well it kept him warm. Tugging on the fringes just exemplified how nervous he was. Was he seriously about to do a duet with Sam in front of an entire audience? In front of strangers? Well, and Finn and Puck. Kurt inwardly groaned. He was going to seriously murder Puck for this.

Not that he didn't want to sing with Sam, because _dear McQueen he wanted t_o, but he still wasn't sure about what was going on between him and Sam. There was an attraction there, sure, and apparently it is mutual...but nothing was said much after that. Well, there's wasn't much to be said. Everything was just so frustrating. And for some reason, Kurt felt nervous. This was oddly unsettling. For a typical performer, getting nervous was normal before a performance, but Kurt was no typical performer. The nerves felt more like paranoia, or anxiety. It was a feeling that made the stage lights shine too bright, and the instrumental seem too loud. Unfortunately, Kurt didn't have much time to ponder because the instrumental to the song had already began, and Sam had opened his mouth to sing.

_The closer I get to you_  
_The more you make me see_

Sam's voice was nowhere as deep as Luther Vandross. But the way he sang made Kurt's heart melt. He could feel his microphone trembling in his hands as he watched Sam singing. Sam was smiling as he sang, and stole glances at Kurt. Kurt felt uneasy singing back to Sam.

As Sam sang his lines, Kurt looked into the audience. The lights were bright, but he could make out a couple of figures. For example, Kurt could clearly see Finn and Puck sitting at their table. Reed, who was having dinner with friends, was at the table near them. And next to Reed's table, a man was having dinner alone.

_By giving me all you've got_

Kurt did a quick double take of the man eating alone. He was tall, solemn, and stared at Kurt with intense eyes. Kurt nearly screamed when he realized exactly who the lone table's inhabitant was.

John Ryder.

_Your love has captured me_

* * *

Kurt forced himself to breath as Sam finished singing. He had to make sure that he remained calm. He took a breath and sang, hoping that the fear wasn't obvious in his voice.

_Over and over again_  
_I try to tell myself that we_

Kurt watched as John got up out of his seat and began walking toward the stage ever so slowly. Kurt's breath caught.

_Could never be more than friends_  
_While all the while inside_  
_I knew it was real_

He watched as John made his way amongst the crowd, feeling ridiculously nervous. Kurt closed his eyes as he sang the last part of his verse.

_The way you make me feel_

After Kurt stopped singing, he began to waiver. Sam, noticing this, looked at him with concern.

"Kurt?" Sam spoke, but not into the mic.

Suddenly, Kurt dropped his microphone and ran. He couldn't bear it for another second. He had to get off stage, he just had to. Kurt jumped off the stage swiftly and made his way to the bathroom, hoping to find solace there.

However, as soon as Kurt left, the screen on which the boys were reading the words began to flicker suspiciously. In turn, the instrumental, microphones, and electrical equipment shut off. Before the boys could react, the rest of the restaurant's lights shut off, resulting in a murmuring panic from the audience. Luckily, the tables were still illuminated by candlelight. Faintly, Sam could somewhat hear waiters attending to tables in the dark.

"KURT! KURT!" Kurt could hear Sam's voice calling him. Kurt didn't have time to find Sam, however. He had to find John Ryder and end this. For good.

* * *

John Ryder stepped into the men's bathroom quietly. He wasn't alone.

"Hello? Is someone here?" John stared at Kurt intently. He pulled out his pocket knife and approached the young boy.

"Kurt...oh, Kurt." John took long strides, diminishing the distance between himself and Kurt, who was standing on the far end of the wall on the opposite side of the bathroom. "When will you realize that if I can't have you..." John was about a foot away from Kurt now.

"...no one can." John clamped his hand over Kurt's mouth, muting his scream.

Outside of the bathroom, the lights flickered again, and the restaurant's power came back to life.

Sam looked out into the audience. Kurt was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Stay tuned!

**A/N: Hope you all enjoy the edits! Sorry that I had to basically throw in a whole new twist, but it had to be in order for the chapters to flow! Please don't be mad? :3 But let me know what you think about the edits!**


	5. Notice to Readers!

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize the link wasn't showing up -_- I posted this at like, 2 in the morning. But that's no excuse. Hoping it shows up...now.

Hi everyone!

Chris G here, author of Roadtrip. I humbly apologize for not updating…I've gotten several messages about it and I've finally decided to start writing it again. The only problem I found was that I wasn't satisfied with the foundation that I had laid out. The solution? I re-wrote it!

chrisgfics (dot) tumblr (dot) com.

There is a link to the tumblr with which I will post chapters from now on, also where you can find the re-written first chapter (which is now the prologue). This is also a tumblr where all of my future fanfictions will be written.

I hope that you all will still continue following the story at its new source! Thank you all for reading and reviewing, it means so much!

Chris G


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